Rebuilding Your Technology Department without Rebuilding ... · • Local listservs and regional association gatherings • ATLIS: School membership, National conference, Early career

Gabriel LucasCo-Founder, Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools

2016 FCIS Annual Conference

Rebuilding Your Technology Department without

Rebuilding Your Budget

About meK-12: Attended San Francisco independent schools

Higher ed: Mathematical and Computational Science; Information Systems; Math

Corporate: Financial consulting, data analytics, project management, online math

K-12 work: Math instructor, Director of Academic Technology, Director of Technology

Non-profit: Co-Founder, Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools

Business: Principal, Ed Tech Recruiting

Family: Wife from Singapore, two kids in a Mandarin immersion public school

Roadmap

1. Overview of technology strategy

2. Six decision points for leadership

3. Additional tips and suggestions

4. Final thoughts, and Q&A

1. Set strategy from the top

Strategic planMission /Philosophy/Core Values

The Willows Mission StatementAt The Willows, we believe each child brings our community an extraordinary gift: a curious mind, ready to explore and eager to learn. Our

mission is to grow that gift by challenging our students to uncover meaning and significance in the world around them and to become capable, confident individuals who demonstrate character, engagement, and a joyful passion for creative inquiry across a lifetime.

Our PhilosophyThe Willows is committed to a balanced yet demanding progressive curriculum rooted in experiential learning and social values. We teach

and model a zest for learning and the courage to take risks. We challenge children to challenge themselves and set high standards for academic excellence, which they pursue with energy and joy. We nurture a sense of compassion and community that begins at home,

reinforcing what it means to be a respectful, involved citizen-of-the-world. We believe that great minds grow in a near-infinite variety of ways. In the spirit of the willow tree itself, our “great minds” are flexible, resilient, and beautiful at every stage of development.

Core ValuesOur core values provide a basis for all student-learning goals:

Creative Inquiry at Our Core

Creativity is essential to learning at The Willows. We are devoted to cultivating our students’ imagination and helping each child discover his or her unique talents in an atmosphere that embraces questioning and exploration. As students examine new ideas from multiple

perspectives and generate innovative solutions to problems, they learn that every individual voice is important. Creativity is not restricted to the arts; it is an integral part of every discipline. The creative process is central to our teaching: we embrace curricular innovation that

energizes our program, creates a dynamic campus climate, and lends new insights to learning.

Trend: Tech leader, integrators, and faculty all need the skills to orchestrate the right balance of constraints and freedom

2. Learn to improvise

3. Manage the continuum

IT

Academic Tech

The critical bridgeIT Academic TechSystems

The critical bridge

IT Academic TechSystems

Trend: Systems environment growing in complexity

What’s in each bucket

IT Systems Academic Tech


IT IT / Systems Systems Systems / Acad. Tech

AcademicTech

Trend: Fewer IT-only or academic tech-only technologies

IT / Academic Tech

Classroom technology Makerspaces

Learning centers


IT IT / Systems Systems Systems / Acad. Tech

Academic Tech

Physical servers

Network; Antivirus;

Backup / disaster; Virtual servers

Website management

LMS; SIS;

Online portfolios; Google environment

Faculty training

H e l p d e s k s e r v i c e s ; D e p l o y i n g l a p t o p s / t a b l e t s

Trend: IT and Academic Tech are no longer

endpoints

Another trend: Boundaries are stretching…

Framework for self-assessment

IT Data / Systems Academic Tech

Vision

Direction

Support

Instructional DesignInfrastructure

Trend: Expanding the definitions of IT and Academic Tech to areas far beyond tech

The critical bridge

Infrastructure

Instructional design

The�� expanded�� role�� of�� Ed�� Tech

Generative discussion

1. Connect tech strategy to your school’s vision

2. Learn to improvise

3. Expand beyond the boundaries of Ed Tech

When rebuilding…

…what else?

Roadmap





Realignment :: House Shopping

Decision #1 Division of leadership

D of T Dir of IT Dir of AT

Gets more complicated with library, registrar, maker

Decision #2 Seniority of leadership

CIOAssistant Head

Director

Coordinator

Head

Decision #3 Vertical span responsibilities

Vision

Direction

Support

Dean of T&L

Dir. of Library

Integrationist

Head

Academic Dean

0.5 FTE faculty x2

CIO

Dir of Library and Ed Tech

Support Team

Assistant Head for

Leadership and

Technology

Tech Coordinator

Director of Innovation

IT Mngr

Ed Tech

Coord.Helpdesk

Trend: New roles / titles

Emerging titles• Assistant Head for {Technology, Leadership, Innovation}

• CIO / CTO

• Director of Educational Innovation

• Director of Technology and Library Services

• Director of Technology and Innovation

• STEAM Coordinator

• Instructional Design Specialist

• Curricular Innovation Specialist

Decision #4 Horizontal span responsibilities

Ed Tech, Systems, IT AV, Website, Dev. DBMaker, Library, Registrar

Core Operations PeripheralAcademic Peripheral

What is right for you?

Trend: Tech span broadening

Space / furniture design

Decision #5 Space

• Library

• Help desk

• Academic tech

• Reception

Decision #6 Oversight

Tech Department

CFO Head Academic Leader(s)

Trend: Tech director feels like a child from a broken home

Further reading

• NBOA Net Assets (Sept / Oct 2015)Building a Better Technology Program

Generative discussion1. Division of leadership

2. Seniority of leadership

3. Vertical responsibilities

4. Horizontal responsibilities

5. Space

6. Oversight

What else?

What else

What else• Systemic decision making

• Disconnected decision making

• Too small to have these problems; having resources or technological skill set

• Universe of things

• Being very large; having to be everything

• Be in very small and being everything

Roadmap





A-1) School culture is key

To Rebuild a School Technology Program, Leaders Must First Arrive at Common Ground

NAIS Independent Ideas Blog (Feb 8, 2016)

A-2) Internal evaluation

• Assess the different areas of the department and program (matrix)

• Project the true costs of major hardware, systems, and programs

• Evaluate individual, department, and external (cultural) factors that are both strengths and challenges

• Prepare a presentation and executive summary for the Board on our technology program

B-1) PD for your tech leader• ISED-L: National listserv dedicated mostly to Ed Tech

• Local listservs and regional association gatherings

• ATLIS: School membership, National conference, Early career institute

• Business office associations and conferences (NBOA, MISBO)

• CoSN: Horizon Report, Certifications

• Coaching, mentorship, and management seminars

• Innovative learning conferences

B-2) PD for the tech team• Specialized trainings

• Conferences and workshops

• Certifications

• Consultants

$

B-3) PD for faculty / staff• Lunchtime workshops

• Faculty and student on boarding and orientations

• Department projects

• Summer institutes

• Annual cohorts

• External school visits and hosting

• Instructional design contractors

$

B-4) PD for Board

• Board retreats on technology governance

• Facilitated discussions on supporting a tech vision

B-5) PD for leadership team

• Learning how to oversee technology

• Developing a greater comfort with tech issues

• Designing an educational technology strategy

C-1) Embrace transition

C-2) Interim leadershipIT Systems Academic

Tech

Vision

Direction

Support


Vision

Strategic

Tactical


Vision

Strategic

Tactical


Vision

Strategic

Tactical

D-1) Tech needs HR— Really.• Exempt / Nonexempt issues

• Work hours: regular, overtime

• Working on site

• Job descriptions

• Annual reviews

• Regular meetings for feedback

• Reporting structures

• Management oversight

• Need for technology middle managers

D-2) Other HR details

• Full-time vs. part-time

• 10-month vs. 12-month

• Faculty vs. Staff vs. Administrator

E-1) Always have counsel• (CFO probably does)

• Lots of options

• Hourly support

• Sharing IT professionals

• Local managed support

• Larger consulting firms

E-2) Outsourcing

• IT vs. Systems vs. Ed Tech

Trend: Outsource —> Insource —> Outsource

Trend: Outsource stuff? Yes. Outsource people? TBD

F) Commit to excellent hiring• Find great leadership talent

• Utilize low-cost front-line support

• Develop a farm system

• Job titles and postings: be precise

• Know where to place ads

• Know where to look

• Improve your job board

• Improve your association’s job board

G-1) Use data pragmatically

• Finding that nexus of intuitive and analytic

• Powering better decision making

• Ed Tech, IT, and Systems

Trend: Growing interest in dashboards

G-2) Abandon the holy grail

• Complete systems integration

• Managing data workflow

• Improving operational efficiencies

• CapX : Biz Office :: API : Tech Office(API = Application Program Interface)

G-3) Understand life cycles

• Embrace the accelerated evolution

• Develop a change mindset

• Modify community expectations

• …but still have a master plan

vision, roadmap, living forecast

H-1) Assess staff, not stuff

H-2) A little help from your friends• Registrar, Librarian, Facilities

Director, Controller, Web Manager, Development Database Manager, Enrollment Manager, Communications Director

• Administrative Assistants

• Compensating for gaps in the organization

• People gravitate toward the work they prefer

lot of

Roadmap





Solve actual problems…

…and keep your focus on

• Staff

• Strategy

• Stuff

(in that order!)

ATLIS 2017 National Conference

Los Angeles April 23 - 26, 2017 www.theatlis.org

Inform. Connect. Reflect.

Making Magic Happen

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Rebuilding Your Technology Department without Rebuilding ... · • Local listservs and regional association gatherings • ATLIS: School membership, National conference, Early career